Operating device



April 3, 1928.

1,664,919 E. EK

OPERATING DEVICE Filed on. 21.1925

. 17 4M W lmlllm av T? TORNE Y Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITED STA TIES:

EMIL EK,"OF PORTLAND, MAI-NE, ASSIGNOR T0 ADDE AND COMPANY, "OF CPORIDLAND MAINE, .A. CORPORATION OF MAINE.

orenna'rrnc nnvron.

Application filed 0ctober,27, 1925. Serial No 65,128.

This invention relates to improvements in operatingdevices. More especially it relates to an improved pawl and ratchet connection between two .rotatable members, whereby one of them may turn through a variable range without causing the other member 'to. berotated beyond a predetermined amount. The :inventionflis shown,and described in its application to a counter wherein a tally.

wheel is turned a predetermined angular amount, by the movement of .a pawl through a partial or a complete rotation in .one. direction, while similar movements of thepawl in thesreverse direction have no effect upon the wheel.

.It .is an object of the presentinvention to provide transfer mechanism which:is adapted to be actuated by an oscillating or a rotatingelement. It is a feature-of the mechanism that thedegree of swing of an oscillating element'or the travelof a reciprocating elementimayexceed the minimum .movementrequired to actuate I the transfer. mechanism without affecting the predetermined operation of the latter. More specifically the invention is directed to the provision of a pawl which when rotated through either a partial or a complete .rotation in one direction will effect .a precise angular displace. ment of aratchet wheel, and which whenrotated in the opposite direction will produce no turning effectbn the wheel whatever.

llhe best mode in which I have contemplatedapplying the principles of my invention is disclosed in the accompanying drawing,;:but this isto be considered as .merely illustrative.

It -is intendedthat the patent shall cover by suitable expression .in the. appended. claims, whatever features of patentablenovelty exist in the invention disclosed.

1n the accompanying drawings, Figurel isa plan ofa counter, with cover removed, embodying the present invention; Figure 2 is anelevationin section on line 2-2 of Figure 1; c

Figure 3 is a plan showing the transfer mechanism separate from the counter;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the pawl and Figure'fiis a View of a portion of the counter showinga cranlrconnectedto the main shaft. l

' Referring to the drawings, "the counter comprises a casing 10 in which is journalled a'main 'shaft12, having connection withthe machine .ormoving .element .(not shown) whose operations are .to be counted, and a countershaft 14 carrying a series of the.

tally wheels ,16. On theright side ofeafch tally wheel is ag-ear wheel 18 having ten teeth, and on theleftcside is a transfer pawl 19 having one tooth 19(. These threefelemerits are" fastened together by pins .17 and are together rotatable on thefiXed counter shaft 14. On :themain shaft 12 lSztL'SBf lGS of baclrgears 20 each securedby pin -21 .to the larger end of a conical hub 23'. These gears with their attac'hedzhubs are separatelyrotatable on shaft 12and are so proportioned and arranged that one back gear meshes with a gear wheel :18 .on one tally wheel and with the single :toothed transfer pawl-ofthe tally wheel ofnext lowest order. Accordingly as any one tally wheel isturned through a complete rotation its attached transfer pawl 19 turns the -.engaging.back gear one tenth of a rotation and this movement of the latter advances the tally wheel of next higher order one unit atthe same time. In the base of the casing is aseries. of detents'or stop pins32 arrangedonefor. each back gear, whereby the rotative movement'of the,latter,.andconsequentlythetally wheel with vwhich .itds engaged, iszyieldingly limited to prevent any over-running.

The mainshaft 12.n1aybe connected directly with arotating element, but in the counter illustrated it is intended that this shaft shall beunerely oscillated,.andaccordr in ly atl'ever 22 is fixed thereon, havingan. offset 22 which brings up against abossllO' on the casing, as the shaft and arm are urged clockwise by a spring, 2,4.coiled1ab0ut the .malnshaft with one end hooked to a suitable catch which-may be the set screw 26 holding the collar 25 on themain shaft, and itsother end hookedaround the coun-v tershaft.

The mechanism for effecting movement of the tally wheels comprises a ratchet wheel 3.4L attachedto the unit tally -wheel having ten teeth each one of which has ,a face 3.4 which is radial and anotherface 34P'which is inclined to-forin a cam face. In the=preferred form there ,isa hubfifisecurely fastened to the main shaft, :having a diemetrical: groove 36 whose edges form hearing surfaces fora pawl 38. Thelatter has acentral elongated slot '38 through which there may the main shaft 12. extends, and at one end of the slot there is a notch 88 adapted to receive and hold a compression spring to which bottoms on a pin e on the hub. This spring constantly urges thepawl along the groove transversely of the axis of the shaft, its effect being limited by the engagement of the central slot 38 with the shaft. The hub is placed on the shaft against the back gear of the unit tally wheel so that be no movement of the pawl along the shaft, the gear on one side and the hub on the other holding the pawl in its operative position directly opposite the ratchet wheel 84. The operative end of the pawl has its corners rounded to form cam;

faces, 38? and 38 between which is "a notch 38 adapted toreceive a tooth of the ratchet wheel, when the noth 38 and a tooth are directly in line with the axes of the two shafts. a position because of the stop pin 32. V

When the arm 22. is pulled counter-clockwise the main shaft is likewise turned and;

with it the hub 36 and pawl 38. The lower side ofthe notch 38 in the end of the pawl engages thera'dialgface 84 of the ratchet tooth and turns the latter one tenth of a rotation. When this has occurred, the pawl end and tooth will have moved far enough in their respective circular paths to separate. The ratchet will be arrested by the stop pin before mentioned, but the pawlcan continue to rotate as far as the arm may be turned.

" If the main shaft is to be fully rotated,the

arm 22, spring 24 and set screw collar are removed and a crank 22 attached tothe main shaft 12,'a spacing collar 23 being also added to properly position the crank as shown in Figure 5. With the pawl rotating its leading cam face 38 will ride on the sharp edge of the tooth, then in line with the axes, causing the pawlto be retracted against its spring until the notch 38 comes opposite the tooth, whereupon the spring 40 will snap the pawl toward the ratchet to bring the lower wall of the notch again in operative contact'with the radial face of the tooth.

As illustrated inFig. 1, the arm and main shaft make only a partial rotation, beingreturned to their initial position underthe influence of the spring 24 with the lug 22 against the boss 10. In thisreverse movement of thepawl, the lower cam face 38 rides 011 the top of the ratchet tooth retractingthe pawl as before explained, until the notch is opposite the tooth. When this occurs, the pawl will snap into engagement with the tooth and if the armbe then turned in the counterclockwise direction, the awl will again advancethe ratchet one tent i, as before. Thus the cycle can be indefinitely repeated and the operations of machine or moving element counted. It is to be noted however, because the end Eachtooth in turn will assume such that in case the reverse movement of the pawl continues beyond the position shown in Figure 2 the ratchet wheel will not be turned of the upper cam face 38 sliding on the inclined face 34 of the tooth will cause the pawl to retract enough to'pass by the tooth. Thus the movements of the pawlwill only be eifective to ing counterclockwise. i

Although particularly shown and described in connection with a counter, the use,

turn the ratchet wheel when the pawl is movof an operating device embodying the present invention is notso limited, but can be employed for turning a counter-shaft intermittently, in step-by-step movements, in consequence of either a rotatory. or oscillatory turning of amain shaft; When applied-in a counter, the latter becomes at once'adapte'd for registering rotations or oscillations of an actuating element, when mov ng in theope'r? ative' direction. I p

I claim: A

1. The combinationwith amain shaft and I" a counter shaft having ,a ratchet wheel carried thereon, of a pawl mounted on said main shaft and rotatable therewith; said main shaft having a bearing surface transverse to its axis along which'said pawl is adapted to slide'into engagement wit said-wheel; said pawl having a central slot through which the shaft passes; and means interposed between said shaft and oneend of the slot for urging the pawl toward wheel engaging position. 7

2. A counter comprising, in combination,

a main shaft;a counter shaft carrying a ratchet wheel; a pawl mountedon said main shaft, rotatable therewith andadapted for transverse movement 3 thereof to engage said wheel; and spring means'urging said pawl towardwheel engaging post1on-;said pawl havlng a notch at one end for securing a tooth ofthe wheel, whereby the wheelis turned upon rotatarymovement of the pafwlt 3. A counter comprising-, in combination,

a main shaft; a counter shaft carryinga ratchetwheel; a pawl mounted onsaid main shaft, rotatable therewith and adapted for transverse movement thereof to engage said Wheel; and springmeans ur-gingsaidpawltoward Wheel engaging position; said pawl having a cam face at one end whereby upon engagement with a tooth on the wheel the pawl is retracted against saidsprin means, to permit the pawl to slide along SaIdtOO'th, there being a notch adjacent to said cam face into whichthe tooth is received upon movement of'the face past the tooth, so that the engagement of a side of said notch and the tooth will cause the wheelto be turned upon further'rotatory movement of the pawl.

4. A counter comprising, in combination,-

a main shaft; a counter shaft carrying a ratchet wheel; a pawl mounted on said main shaft, rotatable therewith and adapted for transverse movement thereof to engage said wheel; and spring means urging said pawl toward wheel engaging position; said pawl having at one end a pair of cam faces with a notch between them; the said faces upon engagement with a tooth on the wheel causing said pawl to be retracted against said spring means, and the notch permitting the spring means to move the pawl toward said wheel to engage said tooth; the said tooth having a cam face adapted to coact with one side of the notch to retract the pawl when turned in one direction, and having a radial face adapted 'upon engagement with the other side of the slot to cause the wheel to be turned with the pawl.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature at Portland, Maine this 13th day of October, 1925.

EMIL EK. 

